Closet space

Closet space

I walked by a Gap store this morning and thought of a blog topic - fashion!
Actually what really inspired me was that I didn't like any of the styles they were presenting on the mannequins. I think the style that's popular now is anything that's a throwback to the 80's.

You see skinny jeans, slouchy tops that fall off the shoulder, long sweaters, flimsy dresses with frills and ruffles and the list goes on and on. I'm not saying that people can't wear that stuff. They do whether I like it or not. ;-) I just wouldn't like it on me.

I like to dress simply, comfortably and casually whenever possible. However, if casual clothing isn't an option, then my clothes should at least have clean lines and structure. No flimsy stuff or ruffles if I can help it!

In the long run, I think my strategy will pay off because if I invest in classic clothing that does not follow the trends, then it will be timeless and I'll always be in style. That's the theory at least. While I definitely don't think I'm a slave to fashion, I am very particular about my clothes because they can be an extension of my personality. My shopping trips are generally very brief because I can go into any given store, get an overview of the clothes that are being sold and I will know whether I am interested in anything.

Some reliable brands that I trust in the States are J. Crew, Banana Republic and Ann Taylor occasionally for business clothes, Land's End, Eddie Bauer and REI for casual wear. Some other miscellaneous stores I may wander into include Express, Zara, or United Colors of Benetton.

One of the hardest things to do in Germany was to shop for clothes because I was not really familiar with the various brands they had over there. In Frankfurt usually just went to Esprit. After I told a colleague of my shopping woes and style preferences, she recommended I check out a brand called Marc o Polo. It has some nice stuff, but it's really expensive.

P.S. - The photo above is of my closet. The only thing that stands out is the red Mandarin collar thing I bargained for in Beijing. Not sure on what occasion I can wear it though. Halloween? Ha ha !